{{short description|American baseball umpire (born 1977)}} {{Use American English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox baseball biography | name = Mike Muchlinski | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|2|26|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | image = Mike Muchlinski 2012.jpg | width = | caption = Muchlinski in 2012 | team = MLB | number = 76 | position = Umpire | debutleague = MLB | debutdate = April 24 | debutyear = 2006 | umpirecrew = B | crewchief = #88 Doug Eddings | crew2 = #76 Mike Muchlinski | crew3 = #47 Gabe Morales | crew4 = #82 Emil Jímenez | highlights = Special assignments *World Series ({{wsy|2021}}) *League Championship Series ({{nlcsy|2019}}, {{alcsy|2022}}, {{nlcsy|2023}}, {{nlcsy|2024}}) *Division Series ({{nldsy|2016}}, {{nldsy|2018}}, {{nldsy|2021}}) *Wild Card Games/Series (2020, 2022, 2023, {{nlwcsy|2025}}) *All-Star Games (2018) | hofdate = | hofvote = | hofmethod = }}
''' Michael William Muchlinski ''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ʊ|ˈ|l|ɪ|n|s|k|iː}}; born February 26, 1977) is an American Major League Baseball umpire. He umpired his first Major League game on April 24, 2006, and was officially hired by MLB prior to the 2014 season. He attended the University of Washington, and was a member of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity Organization. <ref>[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmuchm901.htm Mike Muchlinski] ''Retrosheet.org.''</ref><ref>Imber, Gil. "[http://www.closecallsports.com/2014/01/mlb-hires-umpires-baker-blaser-rackley.html Confirmed: MLB Hires 7 New Umpires to Full-Time Staff]." ''Close Call Sports/Umpire Ejection Fantasy League''. Retrieved January 14, 2014.</ref>
== Umpiring career == Muchlinski officiated behind the plate on August 5, 2011, for a benches-clearing brawl between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Francisco Giants. He ejected Phillies center fielder Shane Victorino, Giants catcher Eli Whiteside, and Giants pitcher Ramón Ramírez from the game.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ejections: Mike Muchlinski (4, 5, 6)|url=http://www.closecallsports.com/2011/08/ejections-mike-muchlinski-4-5-6.html|publisher=Close Call Sports|accessdate=May 12, 2012}}</ref>
Muchlinski was the first base umpire on June 13, 2012, when Giants pitcher Matt Cain threw a perfect game against the Houston Astros.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120617154542/http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=320613126 Matt Cain throws perfect game, strikes out 14 as Giants drub Astros] ''ESPN.com.'' Retrieved June 14, 2012</ref>
Muchlinski was the home plate umpire on June 20, 2015, when Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer pitched a no-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=350620120 Boxscore Pittsburgh Pirates v. Washington Nationals] ''ESPN.com.'' Retrieved June 20, 2015</ref> Scherzer had a perfect game with two outs in the ninth inning and a 2–2 count on José Tábata. Tábata appeared to lean into Scherzer's eighth pitch of the at bat, controversially ruled a hit by pitch by Muchlinski.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Corcoran |first1=Cliff |title=Blame umpires, not Tabata for Scherzer's lost chance at perfection |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2015/06/20/max-scherzer-jose-tabata-no-hitter-nationals-pirates |website=Sports Illustrated |publisher=ABG-SI LLC |accessdate=September 9, 2019}}</ref>
== See also == {{commons category|Mike Muchlinski}} {{Portal|Biography|Baseball}} * List of Major League Baseball umpires (disambiguation)
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == *[http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/M/Pmuchm901.htm Retrosheet] *[http://portal.closecallsports.com/a/closecallsports.com/umpire-ejection-fantasy-league-portal/umpire-roster/mike-muchlinski Close Call Sports] {{Major League Baseball Umpires navbox|autocollapse=yes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muchlinski, Michael}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball umpires Category:Sportspeople from Tacoma, Washington